Lost Pictures of the Past
by In The Beginning
Summary: He couldn't believe he had let her believe he loved her. He couldn't believe that he had agreed to wed her, even though he knew he could never truly love her. He couldn't believe he had fooled himself for so long. Oneshot NB


(I think it's about time for an emo oneshot.

But first, to play some New Blood. Current time: 16:37 Return time: 17:41.

Jeez! Talk about an obsession, huh?

Anyways... please don't hate me because of the pairing mentioned initially. Or because of what happens to one of the characters.

Let's begin.

Characters © Nintendo)

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Lost Pictures of The Past

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She would never be anything more to him.

He couldn't believe he had let her believe otherwise; he couldn't believe that he had agreed to wed her, even though he knew he could never truly love her.

He couldn't believe he had fooled himself for so long.

Markus sighed, sinking into the soft cushions of the couch, his hazel eyes staring straight ahead.

He hated this lie he was living...

But he hated more that he had allowed himself to be caught.

Hesitantly, Markus' gaze drifted down, towards the still-closed photo album that rested on his lap. The dark-haired man idly opened the book, flipping through the pages, some of the pictures within them faded from time...

Markus stopped at the picture of their wedding day.

He had to admit...

Elena looked enchanting in white.

Even though it was just one, still-frame shot of what should have been their greatest day, Markus could practically see the radiant glow that surrounded his wife. Her smile conveyed her joy so perfectly...

Markus had no doubt; it had been Elena's happiest day.

For him, it had been a slow, painful death sentence.

He did a good job of feigning happiness; looking at the picture, he could almost believe that his smile was sincere, and that he was wearing a black suit merely because it was a tradition... and not because he was in silent, solitary mourning.

With only the slightest pause, he flipped the page once again...

Markus froze.

"Ah..."

He had not seen this photo in a long, long time.

The edges were slightly frayed with age, but the colors were as intense as ever. A faint smile crossed over Markus' lips as he gently ran his fingers over the picture...

It was one of the few pictures of Valerie he still had left.

Her light brown eyes burned with life; her broad smile was unhidden, even though she had unsuccessfully tried to block the camera with her hand.

"You never were fast enough to dodge the camera, Val," Markus chuckled quietly, his voice soft and tired as he carefully examined the snapshot. "You were such an easy target..."

He had loved her, so much-- it was why he took so many pictures with her. He used to have album upon album, filled with photos of the two of them together, doing stupid shit together...

Why had he thrown so many of them away?

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_"Markus, you put that camera down, there's no way you're taking a picture of me in my--"_

_"Too late!"_

_His childish laughter as he dashed off inspired only shock and anger in Valerie._

_"Get back here!"_

_She chased him into the living room, still clad in her prom dress._

_"I should never have tried it on again-- Markus Vaughn, I will kick you so hard...!"_

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The ghostly smile upon his lips grew slightly wider as repressed memories slowly resurfaced; he had nearly forgotten...

The page turned, and the faint grin faded.

Now he remembered... why he had longed to forget.

Markus' dark hazel eyes filled with sorrow.

"Valerie..."

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_"Hey, Val... you okay?"_

_"Mnh..."_

_Concerned, Markus put down the camera, placing a hand on Val's shoulder._

_"Val, c'mon-- look at me, tell me wha--"_

_"M-Markus... I ca--"_

_"Val! Val!__** Valerie!**__"_

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She had collapsed that day, her vibrant eyes growing dull as he panicked, calling 911... but not fast enough. Her fall signified the beginning of the all-too-sudden end.

Markus hesitated for a moment before flipping to the next page...

The only photo he had of Val during her short stay in the hospital... he hadn't even taken it. When he received it, his first instinct had been to burn the picture out of existence. So why was it still here? The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of her suffering, her pain...

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_"There's... nothing we can do for her, Markus. The bleeding is too widespread...and it's mostly affected her respiratory functions, memory, and communication. It... it won't be long before..."_

_"...I see. ...thank you... Kanae. ...can I go and see her?"_

_Quietly, Markus stepped into the room, the glass doors sliding shut behind him. He slowly approached the bed, sinking into the chair placed by the bedside..._

_His dark hazel eyes fixated on Val's deceptively calm face._

_It struck him as odd, as he took Val's hand into his own, that she could look just fine; yet behind those closed brown eyes, blood pooled in her brain, destroying the woman he had known... the woman that had, just a few short hours ago, been rolling her eyes at another one of Markus' lame jokes._

_"...hey, Val..."_

_Markus' eyes drifted away from her face, instead focusing on the hand that he carefully held._

_"...Dr. Tsuji told me that... there's been massive hemorrhaging from... from an undiscovered handshake AVM. It... it ruptured, and... well..."_

_A moment of silence ensued as Markus tried to gather his emotions; the quiet was only disturbed by the soft beep of the heart monitor._

_"...I just wanted to make sure... I told you again, before... before you die..."_

_For the first time in years, tears gathered in Markus' hazel eyes, threatening to fall down his face._

_"Val... y-you know that... I love you, right? ...and... nobody... nobody ever will replace you in my heart..."_

_An unexpected sob wrested itself from his throat; the sound was soon followed by a silent torrent of tears._

_"...nobody... ever."_

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He had never again wanted to be reminded... of her death.

_...why her...?_

The thought rolled slowly into Markus' mind, his eyes slowly looking downward.

_...and why then?_

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_"Dr. Vaughn... are you okay?"_

_"...I'm fine, Elena."_

_Even as the sun set and the chill wind began to blow, Markus did not budge from his spot in front of Valerie's grave. No tears fell from his eyes this day; he had lost the ability to feel the same moment that he had lost her... forever._

_But a quiet sob told him that Elena was still plagued by emotions._

_"Elena, don't cry..."_

_"Sh-she's never g-going to... co-come back," Elena sobbed, her amber eyes filling with tears. "H-how can I n-not cry? ...how can __**you**__ not cry?"_

_Markus bit his lip, silently thinking._

_"...it's a good question. ...come on."_

_"W-what...?"_

_Markus turned around, carefully guiding Elena away._

_"You're in no condition to be driving. ...I'll take you home."_

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From there, it had snowballed; Elena spent all her time with Markus, and Markus would comfort her. What he had missed was the transition.

_How had it progressed so quickly?_ he wondered. Before he knew what had happened, he was involved in a romance with a woman he did not love; from there, it was a short jump into a marriage-- an eternal union with a woman he could not cherish.

It was certainly not the life he had wanted... for any of them.

Markus slowly glanced up at the clock...

Elena would be home soon.

She was still oblivious to his true feelings... she was still so naive, so innocent-- if she ever knew the truth, that Markus did not love her, her fragile heart would shatter like glass.

Markus knew that he was trapped, now. He accepted the fact that, by losing his mind and his heart in his sorrows, he had brought this caged existence upon himself. All he could do was pretend that everything was okay.

But Elena would never see the lens of his camera... never. He would not trick himself into thinking that he loved her by taking pictures of the woman who did not affect his heart.

Markus let out a soft sigh as he gradually closed his eyes, closing the photo album.

The only place he knew where to find _her_... that was his destination.

Neither the sound of Elena bursting through the door nor her shaking his shoulders could stir Markus from his slumber...

Nothing would cut short the time he spent with the one he loved.

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(End oneshot.

This was a bit inspired by Picup, who said not enough things happened to Val... although this still ended up Markus-centric. Hm.

An AVM is an arteriovenuous malformation. It's an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain, and if it ruptures, blood pours into the skull, and-- if I understand right-- puts so much pressure on the brain that the person can die. However, an AVM doesn't necessarily have to be fatal-- but a handshake AVM is.

Handshake AVM simply means that the AVM is in a bad location, and operation would be extremely risky. So, a handshake is all the neurosurgeon can offer you.

Thank you for reading.

Please review.)


End file.
